islands? "first look" is up next. patience and gasoline are in short supply as the northeast works to recover from sandy while help continues to pour from in the military, red cross, and also springsteen, bon jovi, and many others. obama, romney, and countless political candidates across the nation present their final arguments on why you should vote for them this final weekend before election day. plus, new details of what really happened during the 9/11 benghazi terror attacks. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc.

good morning, everyone. it has been a horrific week for the northeast. mid-atlantic states continue to unfold. 94 people confirmed dead in the u.s. from sandy. more than 4.5 million still don't have power. that's down from a high of about 8 million. some of the biggest cries for help are coming from new york's staten island where the superstorm has claimed at least 19 lives. among them, two little boys, brothers, a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. their bodice weies were found i marsh on thursday. their mother's suv was washed out when rising waters engulfed their vehicle. people living on the island told nbc's ann curry support has been far too slow in coming. >> every single person on this block lost everything. >> we just want everyone to know that we are hurting down here, and we need help immediately. >> well, fema teams did walk

through staten island neighborhoods on thursday trying to make sure victims signed up for federal help. elsewhere, the national guard handed out water, food, and diapers last night. 17 military aircraft arrived in new york state carrying power repair trucks from california. in virginia, the uss san antonio was loaded up with relief supplies and sent off to new york and new jersey. the city of hoboken is finally getting back on its feet after flooding stranded 20,000 people. governor chris christie says the power situation has drastically improved. >> remember, at the height of the storm we were at 2.7 million. a million more customers have been restored. >> in connecticut, garbage is piling up all along the streets as flooded basements are being cleaned out. let's go back to new york. washed out subways are starting to come back, and there are huge lines on buses as the city deals

with a gridlock nightmare. work could begin today on removing that massive crane that's been dangling high above a midtown manhattan street. and a lot of people are questioning the decision to go ahead with the new york city marathon on sunday. to lower manhattan where power may not come back until the weekend. our reporter from wnbc found an incredible sight near a supermarket. >> look how desperate it has gotten here in this neighborhood. people are dumpster diving. what they're going after is the food. some i've spoke within are so hungry, they literally pried open this dumpster. they are literally picking through. >> almost hard to imagine. four days after sandy, fatigue and frustration mound as people are waiting for electric, power, and more help to meet the overwhelming needs. nbc's danielle with lee is in

atlantic city, new jersey. good morning, danielle. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. behind me the once bustling and world famous atlantic city boardwalk sits dismantled and empty. it's evidence of the long road to recovery that already leading to frustration. the cavalry is arriving. electrical repair vehicles and volunteers from out of state are working to get the lights back on in the northeast. for the millions of people without power, those lights have already been out too long. >> there's people that have nothing. they have the clothes on their back. you know, it's -- >> frustrating, i bet. >> very frustrating. >> reporter: from new york city to new jersey, desperation is now replacing sadness. >> you need to come here and help us. we need assistance. please. >> reporter: crews are trying to salvage mere shells of once thriving communities. residents locked out of their homes for safety reasons are losing patience. >> why is it unsafe there and nowhere else?

talk to the rest of the homeowners. >> we got the gas company trying to shut the gas lines off. >> i don't care about a house. i'd rather care about your life. >> reporter: in new york city many are questioning the mayor's priorities as they prepare for the yearly marathon. >> we're pulling bodies out of the water. you see the disconnect here? >> reporter: the pain from sandy still fresh with communities anxious to recover. forecasters say a winter storm could get here well before the power is back on next week. reporting live in atlantic city, i'm danielle lee. back to you. >> thank you, danielle. more on that storm coming up. first, crippled public transportation means more people are forced to commute by car, but power outages and distribution problems are causing shortages at the pump where patience is also in short supply. nbc's katy tur reports. >> reporter: if they weren't

coming in on fumes, they were coming in empty. snaked around block after block after block, hundreds of cars idled, inching towards the gas station. in fact, you needed a helicopter to see just how long the lines actually were. >> the line is going all the way around. >> reporter: from northern new jersey, south to philadelphia, east to long island, and as far west as pennsylvania, people were on the hunt for gas. >> we've been in line for two and a half hours. >> reporter: in some areas, police were deployed to maintain order. those looking to fill up their tanks or their gas cans waited and waited. >> they don't have gas. >> reporter: in new york city, 50% to 70% of stations are just not able to sell any fuel. no power, no pumping. in new jersey, that number climbed to 80%. before the hurricane hit, five refineries along the east coast were shut down or forced to work at a reduced capacity. >> three of those refineries are

up and running once again. one of them remains shut down. one of them has power going, so it should be a matter of time before they're operating at full capacity. >> reporter: still, patience is running out along with the gas. >> this guy just cut me because i left a little space. i'm running out of gas. i don't know if i'm going to make it. >> that's nbc's katy tur reporting. tonight, the networks of nbc universal will join forces to host a benefit for the victims of hurricane sandy. it's going to feature artists native to the area hardest hit including bruce springsteen and billy joel. it will begin at 8:00/7:00 central central. it's commercial free. to find out how you can help the victims of hurricane sandy, head to our website, nbcnews.com. now for a look at your national weather, let's check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> there's an election day impact and an impact when it

goes up the coast. again, this is not a big, huge storm. if it wasn't for the last storm we dealt with, this would be your average, typical rain event coming up the east coast. because of the effects on election day turnout and possible coastal erosion, it's a little more interesting. as far as this forecast for election day, most of the country is rain free and clear. a little weak system in northern minnesota, wisconsin. shouldn't cause any issues. this system that's going to be dipping down into the gulf will be developing tuesday and spreading rainfall into the areas of georgia, south carolina, and areas of north carolina. maybe virginia very, very late in the day as the polls are closing. really, it's just rain. it's going to be pretty mild. hopefully it won't impact the turnout too much. now let me take you into the part of it i'm a little more concerned with. that is, of course, the impact of where sandy hit. the storm will be a mini nor'easter. not a full-fledged one like we

normally get. these are my concerns. battering waves. again, there's no dunes left on the beaches. a lot of the water has been -- you know, the whole coastline has been reconstructed. any loose limbs on trees that haven't fallen yet, there are going to be wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour and the progress would be delayed as far as getting power back on. probably one day power crews couldn't get out there and do the work they need to do. that's what we're looking at tuesday, wednesday next week. we'll fine tune that as we get closer. >> for everyone waiting, one day really matters. bill, thank you so much. this weekend marks the final stretch of a very long campaign. >> and after all that we've been through together, nevada, we sure as heck can't give up now. >> i want you to know i'm confident about the future. i'm optimistic. >> the race to election day less than 96 hours away. and a must-see joe biden top ten list. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. look how small they were!

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96 hours to go, and the candidates plan to spend a lot of time in the batting ground state of ohio. nbc's tracie potts has details. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. it is a very aggressive schedule. governor romney hits four states alone just on sunday, and between the presidential and vice presidential candidates, they are scheduled to make 12 stops in ohio between now and election day. both candidates land in ohio today. so far, here's what their travel schedules look like. governor romney visits seven states including a rally in ohio tonight with 100 supporters, politicians, and celebrities. in virginia last night, a makeup of hurricane sandy, he argued the president's running out of steam. >> he was the other day talking about saving characters on "sesame street" and playing word games with my name and attacking me on a regular basis and attacks that he knows aren't

true. >> reporter: president obama also visits seven states between now and election day with a focus on ohio, his must-win state. he'll be there every day between now and the election, making his closing arguments, highlighting higher home prices and victory overseas. >> al qaeda has been decimated. osama bin laden is dead. so we've made real progress these past four years. >> reporter: the president picked up an endorsement from new york mayor michael blo bloomberg. earlier this week, bloomberg said they were too busy cleaning up from the storm for a presidential visit, but he applauds the president's record on climate change. so how will it shake out on tuesday? >> i think romney has a 50/50 chance to win the popular vote. i think it's harder to see him winning the electoral vote. >> reporter: a possible split verdict from a nation already deeply divided. an anxious end to what's been a very long campaign. lynn. >> all right, tracie.

thanks. a quick program note for you. sunday on "meet the press," david gregory getting the final word of the 2012 dam pain from obama strategist david plouffe and house majority leader eric cantor. that's here on msnbc. a few more political headlines. missouri senate candidate todd akin gained national attention for his legitimate rape comment. now he's out with a new campaign ad talking about rape and abortion. take a look. >> my name is kelly. i'm a full-time student, a single mother. i'm a woman who's had an abortion. i've been raped in my past. reasons i'm voting for todd and that i'm so proud of him is because he defends the unborn. >> paul ryan has been busy on the stump trying to shore up swing state voters while saying just how tough he and romney really are. >> we can't keep doing this. look, mitt romney and i can

handle whatever they're going to throw at us for the next five days. >> vice president joe biden has indeed been offering his advice on the topic here, early voting. >> if you vote early, you don't have to pay taxes. i'm sorry. i'm being told that's not accurate. single and looking to mingle? find that special someone on the early voting line. early voters receive a $5 million donation from donald trump. >> wow. >> don't you want this election over with already? >> yes, we did. >> got a lot of laughs. and check out this political sign on a lawn in republican heavy castle rock, colorado. look real close. it says a romney fan stole my obama sign. do it again and you'll make my day and tv news. he did. they add that the sign is brightly lit at night. finally, if you live in that all-important state of ohio, you

have been bombarded with presidential campaign ads. well, somehow "the daily show" found a way to draw a parallel with sandy. >> john, the advertising onslaught here has been devastating. obviously we've taken shelter in this underground bunker, but from what i've been hearing on the outside, tragically almost 99% of the population here in ohio still has electricity. horrible. it'll take a long time to clean up the debris covering the state. >> they always hit the nail on the head, don't they? well, brand new information on cia's role in the benghazi terror attacks. details next. plus, oprah's favorite things, and you might even be able to afford a few of them. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. if you think running a restaurant is hard, try running four. fortunately we've got ink.

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stories making news this friday morning. the cia has released a detailed timeline of this september's attacks on the u.s. mission in benghazi, libya. it shows security officers went to the aid of diplomats less than 25 minutes after the first call for help. the agency specifically denied allegations that personnel were ordered to stand down. a senior secret service agent who served on the protection detail for president obama killed himself last week in washington. he was under investigation for violating policy by having a long-standing relationship with

a woman from mexico without telling the secret service. well, on thursday night football, san diego quarterback philip rivers connected on a career best 98% of his passes including two touchdowns as the chargers pounded the kansas city chiefs 31-13. and only one game in the nba. the spurs edged the oklahoma city thunder 86-84. now over to wall street where u.s. and asian markets were given a good boost. the dow climbed 136 points. the s&p jumped 15. the nasdaq rose 42. tokyo and hong kong finish the the week with with the nikkei gaining 104 points and the hang seng jumping 289. traders and voters are watching for any surprises from today's october employment report. should be the last one before the election. expectations are about 125,000 jobs were added. that should keep the unemployment rate at 7.8%.

a slew of upbeat data drove thursday's momentum, including positive reports on consumers, retail, auto sales, and manufacturing. well, it has been a rough week for martha stewart's company. offices were flooded by hurricane sandy, forcing earnings to be delayed twice. now the company says it's laying off 12% of its staff. shutdowns and free fares are costing new yorkers and new york's mass transit authority about $18 million a day. new york senator chuck schumer says fema will reimburse the city in full. sandy's total price tag is estimated at $50 billion. that makes it the nation's fourth costliest disaster. homeowners in new york, new jersey, and connecticut may be spared a costly deductible after state governors declared sandy did not make landfall as a hurricane. and this should be good for business. any company that made oprah's annual favorite things list, get

out the pen and paper. here are a few. an $1800 battery and pedal powered bike. microsoft's new surface tablet. and what looks like a delicious $40 blue velvet cake. even at 5:00 in the morning. just ahead, bill karins is going to have the all-important weekend weather forecast. plus, how one family in eastern pennsylvania is making the best of being without power. we'll give you some ideas. you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

welcome back to "first look". taking you through your friday forecast. still very chilly for everyone out there without power in the northeast.

not a lot of wet weather to deal with travel-wise. that's good. as we go through sat, a nice, quiet day. dry just about everywhere. chances of afternoon showers and storms in dallas and san antonio. saturday night, we fall. we fall forward. we get our extra hour of sleep. make sure you -- wait, spring back, fall fwaorward. excuse me, fall back. you get the extra hour. >> we're getting an extra hour. look it up on the internet. bill is of no assistance to us. well, a bucks county, pennsylvania, family is still without power, just like millions of other in the northeast. this family found a unique way to cope with it. here's their story. ♪ >> reporter: looking for something to do while your power

is out? ♪ fridge is getting warmer and it smells like rotten cheese ♪ >> reporter: lots of people were stuck at home without power and end up getting on each other's nerves. these twin brothers decided to write a song for the occasion. the boys and their mom are doing their best to cope. >> it kind of stops your life. you can't move forward. >> reporter: they even found a way to make sure lilly stays warm. and they found some ingenious ways to survive. >> just wet a towel and run it under the faucet and just stand and wash yourself down. give it a quick rinse and you're good to go. >> basically, find an outlet where you can get one. any local convenience store or fast food store. just bring your charger. maybe buy a water, something like that. charge your phone. >> reporter: the boys say they'll keep strumming until the power starts coming. ♪ light my home

>> quick rinse and you're ready to go. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. i tell you what. you know, my mom used to have an expression. joe, out of everything bad, something good will come. i want to tell you what makes me so proud in moments of crisis. democrats and republicans always came together. i got to tell you, it was reassuring to be on those calls. i really mean this. it was reassuring. that's how it's supposed to work. we always work better in america when we work together and everyone's in on the deal. >> vice president joe biden yesterday in iowa. we begin this morning four days away from the presidential election and four days removed from sandy, one of the worst storms ever to hit this country. the death toll from that